Harbor Freight Buffer

[dorelse]

Just a FYI...the $39.00 (el cheapo) Harbor Freight buffer I purchased last fall, lasted a grand total of 4.5 hours buff time before it died in a ball of sparks, smoke & melted plastic.

(I kept track...figured if it lasted 10 hours I'd have gotten my money out of it...and I was curious if it would make it.)

I'm going to pick up a Cyclo Polisher next time.

[Jerry]

Northern has an assortment and a big price range. I got mine at Delegard Tool (I have a wholesale account)

[Jason]

I must have over 6 on mine. Still seems to be working fine.

[V153]

Ya Ryan said he used mine for probly 8-10 hrs. No meltdown yet?

Hey wonder if one could attatch a tiny tach/hour meter to a power tool? Nevermind ...

Yo Doran, shoulda sprung the extra $9 bucks for free replacement.

Fwiw I been buyin' Dewalt power tools for the past few years. Been purty hard on the sawsall'n grinder but they appear to be holdin' up just fine. Given the orbital sander a few workouts too. Ya it'll be interesting to see how the Harbor Freight buffer measures up?

  

[Hotwired]

I have a Milwaukee buffer .... have used it for years now and it is nearly indestructible.  Can run it for hours and not even get it warm.  I have used it on most all of the boats and all of my cars and trucks.  Evan polished my bathroom counters with it!!  Cultured stone shines up nice! 

[dorelse]

Doug - @$29.00 it was 'disposable' to me...but, I would have liked to have got through the boat 1x!

Jerry - My buffer looks exactly like yours...I'm assuming you likely have a more powerful motor.


Its no big deal, I should have upgraded to the $69.00 buffer they had advertised at the time, larger motor.  I have a local detailing shop who rents the Cyclo for 'free' if you by products from him.  So I'll likely just do that.

[V153]

Doug - @$29.00 it was 'disposable' to me...but, I would have liked to have got through the boat 1x!

Ya at least getting through one boat woulda been nice ...

Personally I think they slap so many of those cheap tools together you're lucky if it outlives the 90 day warranty. But, having said that, sometimes you can buy some cheap pos'n have it last forever?

Hear ya Chris. Milwaukee builds a bad azz tool. Bleve they invented the "sawzall"? (Everybody else has to call it a 'reciprocating saw' ...)

[Hotwired]

Hear ya Chris. Milwaukee builds a bad azz tool. Bleve they invented the "sawzall"? (Everybody else has to call it a 'reciprocating saw' ...)

Ya, I have a Sawzall too .. it one don't it shine it up I take care of it with the other! 

[Jerry]

Jerry - My buffer looks exactly like yours...I'm assuming you likely have a more powerful motor.

It's Mercury Black. What's your guess

[V153]

I actually have 2 sawz, er, reciprocating saws in my posession. One's a Craftsman & the other a Dewalt. Both have been used extensively during boat deconstruction. Been takin' it easy on the Craftsman lately, she sounds a lil tired. Lately that one's been pruning my palms'n pygmy dates'n crepe myrtles.

Beauty of a 'sawzall' is, given the right blade, you can destroy just about anything with it?  

[WetRaider]

I do like the DeWalt brand, and Rigid (Home Depot).  I've never owned Milwaukee, but I know many of my contractors carried them.  Most of my tools have been bolt-down style - 12" chop saw, band saw, table saw, wet saw, etc.  I have a corded Rigid drill for getting through tough concrete and drilling holes in steel.  For my cordless, I've used Ryobi ... mainly because I had to count on it getting stolen and it needed to be cheap enough I didn't cry about it.  They lime green Ryobi stuff has been pretty handy, lately - no trouble with the 5-1/4" circular saw, reciprocating saw or drill.  I did use the reciprocating saw to dig out a tree by the roots ... started that baby up and slowly pushed the blade in the ground right up by the tree ... traced myself a little circle and started pushing on the trunk - she fell over, I cut the rest off and filled in the hole.  Saved me some effort vs. a hand saw or hatchet.
I did buy an HVLP from Harbor Freight - it was on sale for $10.  I bought several and considered them one-time use products.  Some of them I even got 2 or 3 jobs out of them before they were done.

[Jerry]

Many of my power tools came from the local pawn shop. A fraction of the price. If ya ever need something, ask I may have it so you don't have to buy it.
I have about 5 or 6 HVLP guns but I clean them instead of tossing them. lol

[WetRaider]

Jerry - I hear ya.  At the time, I could earn a lot more than $9.00 in the time it took me to properly clean one out and have it ready to go again.  Now?  I'd clean it out and put it on the shelf.  :-)

[dorelse]

Well...resurrected the buffer from the dead.  Shorted out, cleaned up the contacts, couple of new wires and we're back in business for now...still smells like hot death, but its working.

[fireman24mn]

I got a makita that I bought about 10 years ago buffed many cars, trucks, boats you name it. Heck just buffed the van I painted. Some times it pays to spend the extra. Like the cheap welder I bought that broke on me the other day and NOONE has parts for it. Had to JB weld it back together. Should have spent the extra $$ and got a name brand. On the other hand I do have some "cheap" tools that are 10 -15 yrs old and work fine.

[MarkS]

I think I'm throwing Black and Decker into the "cheap disposable" pile, my 3/8" drill went up in smoke last weekend drilling the outboard motor mounting holes!  Only had it for 8 or 10 years, LOL.  Went to HD on the way home last night and sprung the extra $ for the "professional grade" Rigid drill, longevity test begins today.   

[Hyperacme]

After useing Shawn's Makita for a few hours i did NOT want to go back to the "cheap disposable" buffer ... LOL
$200  .... OUCH !